


Enter the Beast

by PunnyMints



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, MeltyArtz, a gift for melty!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25637014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunnyMints/pseuds/PunnyMints
Summary: Kashyyk? More like Crush-yyyk.A gift for MeltyArtz on insta! Her Clone Wars OC's
Kudos: 1





	Enter the Beast

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MeltyArtz](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=MeltyArtz).



> This took entirely too long to write, work has been crazy, I may write more for these two OwO

There were two things they didn’t teach biologists. Or, two things they do teach biologists, and biologists just choose to not listen.

One: There is always room for discovery, but it’s better to stay far away from big, scary, unsedated creatures.

Two: Don’t, please, don’t, try to get blood samples from said big, scary unsedated creatures.

Lyl dove behind the biggest wroshyr tree she could find coming up, hoping that the trunk would conceal her. It would visually, of course. But not in an olfactory sense. Lyl felt like her lungs were on fire, her mouth was dry from panting. She inhaled a gulp of air and sunk down onto the root, trying to relax some. Hopefully she bought some time for herself. Terentateks were not especially intelligent. 

Two and a half, she thought: make sure you do cardio if you do try to get said blood samples from said monsters.

She tilted her head back, still taking in air. Kashyyk was musty and humid and hard to breathe in, and Lyl found that she preferred cold to hot and dry to humid. Typically where there were just cute little animals and aliens to study. Think of Kod’yoks. Tauntauns. Snow q’lks. Just cute, happy, furry-

The distractions fizzed away when a rumble emerged from the other side of the tree. Lyl gave a silent groan, her lungs heaving in protest, as she rose to her feet, legs quaking. No, she wasn't ready to run. The earth rumbled, and she ebbed softly to the opposing end of the tree in preparation to peer around. Tarentatuks were not the most intelligent or clever of creatures. She was more clever than them. All she had to do was outrun and outsmart it. Wheels turned in her brain, little spaceships of thought taking off, forming a plan. If she could just run the other way, towards the Republican base, she could tell the troopers that there was a big scary thing that they needed to shoot down. 

… and THEN she could get a blood sample. And a nasal swab. All the samples.

A huff of determined breath emerged from Lyl's lips, her gloved fists squeezing. She had to move, now. Unless she wanted to end up as a monster's mid-afternoon snack. No, that was not optimal.

Lyl felt the ground shake in a manner that swayed even the mighty wroshyr she was using as shelter. Involuntarily, Lyl gave a small whimper. She could smell the stale stench of death from the beast lurking around the corner in the nearby of the woods. Lyl had found herself in many a sticky situation before, but never one that was quite this… sugary sticky. It was miserable and mucky, and hard to breathe in the thick humidity and fog of panic. Doubt wormed her way into her mind.   
She wasn’t gonna get out of this.

The tree shook as the terentatek moved closer, gutteral sounds of bloodlust emerging from its throat. Lyl inhaled again, trying not to gag at the stench of the beast, edging closer to the edge of the trunk, waiting for a moment to break into a run. 

She dipped around the tree, planting the soles of her feet onto the bumps of exposed root. Her back hand braced against the bark, the smoothed age of it leaving splinters behind in her hands. Oh well. A couple splinters would be alright, if it means she could get out of this alive. The humid air was still hard to breathe in, air thick with survival. Lyl rolled her shoulders, swallowing hard. Was it hot all of a sudden. Hard to breathe, to move, without feeling sticky. Lyl paused for a second, eyes drawing from looking out at the open forest. The beast was no longer in front of her, meaning-

A snarl erupted from behind. Lyl whipped around, letting out a single yelp of alarm, stumbling. The tarentatek's growl rumbled the forests with victory. It had found its next meal, at long last!

“Uh.. hi.” Lyl moved backwards, trying to step with grace over the slippery worshyr roots. “I should have asked for that blood sample, I guess, no one likes needles. Not even tarentateks, I suppose.” Lyl’s eyes darted around, tongue darting between chapped lips to try and smooth over more words. “Perri asked to come with me, I guess I should have let him. Heh. Anyways… truce?” Lyl gave a sheepish grin. She knew full well that beasts weren’t capable of understanding basic. She shrugged, trying to think of what direction the clone base was in. 

The beast tilted its head, then stomped its feet. It let out a roar, lunging forth.

Huh. Guess no truce.

Lyl stumbled back, tripping, but got up quickly and broke into another sprint. She had to get out, now.

_______

Perri squinted hard at his holotablet. The war was quiet on Kashyyyk, with only the occasional skirmish from a couple of scouting commando droids. Sometimes, unexciting was best. It meant no huge amounts of fatalities, no burials, and plenty of time to catch up on the newest articles about species found in the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

Parri scratched his forehead. Lyl wasn’t back yet. She had been gone all day, which wasn’t unlike her, but her absence left a sour settlement in his stomach. Sure, the pantorian was getting a little braver each and every day, venturing into the thockets of the forest floor a little further every time, returning with a bright smile and news of something she saw, or a plant sample, or news from one of the wookiee scouts about a large beast sighting. The thought of the bright white teeth against her blue skin brought a warmth to that unsturdiness in his stomach. 

She was so smart. And cool. And currently running at him, yelling.

Wait. 

“PERRRRRIIIIIII!”

The clone blinked. “... Lyl? Where have you been?”

“CANNON! LOAD THE CANNON!”

“Wha-” Perri’s eyes were drawn up to the giant creature, lumbering behind her. “Oh, kriff.”

Lyl sprinted at him, eyes focused on him, intense. “SHOOT IT.”

Perri whipped around, yelling at his fellow clones, who were staring up at the horrid creature. “Boys! Cannons!” He ran forward, meeting Lyl halfway and grabbing her arm, then yanked her behind him as he ran towards the cannons. They were going to go off any second, and it was gonna be a bloody mess. Pun intended.

______

Lyl wandered around the fallen tarentatek, eyes alight with excitement. “I wish we could have captured it instead of killed it,” She reached out, hand hesitating, fingers shaking slightly with, perhaps, fear. Awe bubbled up inside of her as her fingers curled back up, scooting backward some as the leaves crunched behind her.

“You know, you went through all that trouble of bringing it here for us to get it off ya, you have every right to touch it.” Perri walked up beside her, helmet dangling from his fingers. 

“It’s so… amazing.” Lyl’s breath caught as she eyed the fallen beast. 

Perri glanced at her, brows raising, a bemused strangle coming from his throat. “I’ve seen better, your standards must be pretty low.” He paused, scanning her withdrawn arm. “Come on. Here.” He moved his helmet to his other hand and reached out, gently closing his fingers around her wrist. Perri avoided looking at her, though his peripheral view caught Lyl’s flustered expression, and his own face heated. 

Slowly, Perri moved Lyl’s hand towards the scaly structure of the monster. “Easy does it.”

“I’m not a tauntaun.”  
“You’re acting like a frightened tauntaun. Touch it,” Perri’s voice coaxed softly. “Don’t make me get Cloud out here to bully you into it.” Perri teased and slowly released his grip.

Lyl’s fingers settled on the monster, the scales and rough skin unfamiliar against her warm palm. She drew in a breath, inhaling the discovery and turned quickly to Perri. Her grin lit up her whole face, cheeks rising, amber eyes alight. 

The uneasiness rose again in Perri’s gut, but in a better way. Warm, welcome even. The words stumbled out of his lips, mouth dry suddenly. “You want help collecting samples?”

The joy on her face raised Perri’s pulse. “Yes.” Lyl giggled, hands quickly moving to the sample kit on her belt.

**Author's Note:**

> Go check out Melty's phenomenal art! It makes me warm and bubbly inside!
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/CC_8zsUDQxc/


End file.
